Eggplant

some people mistakenly think eggplants originated in the Mediterranean countries of Greece
and Italy, but the eggplant were a delicacy enjoyed by the Emperors of China as early as
600 BC. Fashionable ladies of that time, apparently, used a dye made from the skins to stain
their teeth black, which was considered stylish - my how times have changed.
Eggplants, or aubergines as they are sometimes called, grow on a bush, which produces
variously shaped fruit over a long period of time. The most common type is the glossy,
smooth skinned, tear drop-shaped eggplant which has dark purplish satin-like skin.
Inside, our spongy flesh is white to creamy-white with many small edible seeds.
The stem and the star-like leafy calyx are covered in short spines and are attached at the
narrowest end. Others of us come in long and thin, round or egg shapes with colours ranging
from white to white with red stripes to deep purplish black.
Eggplants were being cultivated in China as early as 600 BC but it’s thought that they
originated in India before that. From India they spread to the Middle East and became a
popular Arab food. When the Arabs conquered Spain they took eggplants with them and by the 16th century they were being grown throughout Europe.
It appears that they were unknown in Australia until after 1850 when a nurseryman, John Baptist, obtained some seed from a gentleman who had lived in India. However, they didn’t become popular and even in the 1930’s, they were considered a neglected vegetable by seed producers. It wasn’t until the arrival of European migrants in the
1950’s that their popularity soared.

Varieties
They are not sold by variety in Australia. However, shape and colour are important.
Although most of them are purple and oval to pear-shaped, you can get white, lavender or
red striped long sausage-like types from time to time, as well as small round eggplants in
a range of colours. Pea or Thai eggplant are small, green, pea-like fruit which cluster
at the end of small branches. Pea eggplants are used in Asian cooking.

Benefits:
They are a good source of dietary fibre
They are fat-free and low in kilojoules - 100 grams has only 75kJ.

Buying & Storing:
Select those with smooth, firm, satin-like, glossy, skin. They should feel heavy for their
size. Avoid any with brown or soft spots and dull skin. Store them in the vegetable crisper
or in an unsealed plastic bag in the refrigerator. Use within 5 days.

Did you know eggplants are?
closely related to potatoes and tomatoes, but don’t resemble them at all, even though they
all belong to the deadly nightshade family - however, they are quite safe to eat
really a fruit known as brinjal in some parts of the world
important in cuisines around the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.